ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Spider-Man 2099: Exodus – Alpha,’ Issue #1

Spider-Man 2099: Exodus – Alpha #1 is written by Steve Orlando, illustrated by Paul Fry, colored by Neeraj Menon, and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna. It’s published by Marvel Comics. In the year 2099, the corpse of the Celestial known as Jovion the Enactor crash-lands on Earth.  The energies from Jovion’s death form a new Garden of Eden in what used to be known as the Wastelands – prompting the mysterious group known as the Cabal to try and seize its wonders for themselves. The only thing standing in their way is Miguel O’Hara, better known as the Spider-Man of 2099. And O’Hara isn’t alone, as he’s willing to call upon Kenshiro “Zero” Cochrane: the Ghost Rider of 2099.

O’Hara has long been a fan favorite Spider-Man character, from his very first appearance in 1992 to Oscar Issac’s portrayal in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and next year’s Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. This year also marks his 30th anniversary, which runs parallel to his predecessor Peter Parker’s 60th anniversary. And from this story, I can tell that Miguel is in good hands. Orlando dives headfirst into the 2099 era, re-introducing elements from Spider-Man 2099 including O’Hara’s built-in AI Lyla and the presence of the oppressive corporation known as Alchemax. There’s even the surprise appearance of a classic Spider-Man foe, which is bound to upend reader expectations. Orlando’s been doing a great job with Marauders, but this one-shot shows that he’s perfectly

Bringing Orlando’s script to life is Fry, who is clearly having a blast illustrating the world of 2099. Nueva York is a towering mass of skyscrapers, awash in glowing lights and holographic displays. Ghost Rider’s headquarters sits atop a snowy mountain – quite the contrast for a character that’s usually associated with fire and vengeance. And the action is worthy of being plastered on a movie screen; entire pages feature Miguel soaring through the skies of Nueva York and webbing up members of the Private Eye, and one page is dedicated to Jovian crashing into the Earth with literally explosive results. It also isn’t lost on me that Fry illustrates Miguel to look more like Oscar Issac, though that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the work that Nenon does with colors. He makes Nueva York look like a scene out of Blade Runner with its glowing collection of lights and cold blue buildings. O’Hara’s costume is also a standout, with a blue so deep it’s almost black and his signature blood-red spider/skull symbol. In contrast, Ghost Rider 2099 is clad from head to toe in black leather – sans his flaming head. And that color even spreads to Caramagna’s lettering. Layla’s words are encased in golden, square-shaped word balloons, with Ghost Rider’s displayed in black and white.

Spider-Man 2099: Exodus – Alpha #1 returns to Miguel O’Hara’s timeline for an action-packed story that celebrates the fan-favorite web-slinger’s 30th anniversary. With upcoming issues slated to focus on the 2099 versions of Marvel heroes including the Winter Soldier and Loki, I’m looking forward to where Orlando and his collaborators take Exodus‘ story.

Spider-Man 2099: Exodus – Alpha #1 will be available wherever comics are sold on May 4, 2022.